Washing-machine.



No. 762,199. I TENTED JUN-E 7, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented June 7, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE:

ADOLPH AUGUST RULLMAN AND DAVID DOUGLASS RULLMAN, OF VVATHENA, KANSAS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,199, dated June '7, 1904. Application filed January 129, 1904. Serial No. 191,179. (llo model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in washing-machines; and the object of the invention is to produce an apparatus of this character in which a plurality of pounders are provided, which are mounted on shafts which are adapted to rotate, a reciprocal and rotary movement being imparted .to said shafts, whereby the clothes in a tub or other receptacle may be thoroughly cleansed by forcing the hot water through the clothes and thoroughly agitating the same.

Our invention consists, further, in various details of construction and in combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

We illustrate our inven tion in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application, and in which drawings similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved washing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asectional View on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a receptacle having a top A" and a bottom B, immediately above which is positioned a screen C, whereby clothes may be kept from contact with the bottom of the receptacle. Rising from the frame of the receptacle are the standards D, which support the horizontal shaft E, which has suitable hearings in the tops of said standings.

ards. To the ends of said shaft are fixed the fiy-wheels F and F, the former of which has pivotally connected therewith a rod G, which is connected with a foot-tread G, whereby said shaft may be rotated, while the wheel F is provided with a handle F whereby the shaft may-be turned by hand --power, if desired. Cranks H are formed in said shaft, and to each crank an arm H is pivoted, which is curved at its lower end to form a jaw h, which is concaved and adapted to cooperate with a similar concaved jaw h to form a socket in which the spherical-shaped head I, integral with each of the shafts K, is adapted to have swiveled bear- In the drawings I have shown two shafts, which are of similar construction, mounted side by side and placed apart, and each of said shafts K has swiveled connection with a pair of jaws, as illustrated in the drawings. Each shaft K has a vertical play through a collar N, which is fixed to the top of the receptacle, and O designates a metallic plunger which is mounted in an aperture in said shell, and a spring 0 is provided to normally throw said plunger at its farthest inner limit.

Each of the enlarged cylindrical portions of the shafts K is provided with a series of longitudinal grooves Q, which are parallel to one another and spaced apart. Connecting the adjacent grooves are the branching diagonal grooves Q the bottoms of which are continuous with the bottoms of the grooves Q above said branching grooves, while the bottoms of the portions of the grooves from the point designated in the drawings by letter Q to the bottoms of the grooves project beyond the bottoms of the upper portions of the grooves, and as the shafts K reciprocate the end of the plunger 0 is held in the grooves by means of the spring O, and as the shaft rises the plunger will be deflected into the inclined groove Q by the inner end of said plunger coming in contact with the inclined shoulder at Q, and a partial rotary movement will be imparted to the shaft K. As the plunger comes into the lower portion of an adjacent groove Q, and as the shaft K descends the end of the plunger will ride in the vertical groove in which it has entered from the diagonal branching groove, and as the end of the plunger comes opposite the inclined shoulder at Q the spring will drive the plunger forward, so that the inner ends thereof will contact with the bottom of the groove above the inclined shoulder and will continue to be guided in the upper portion of the groove Q until said shaft has reached its downward limit, and on the upward movement of the shaft K the operation will be repeated, thereby giving an intermittent rotary movement to the shaft as it is caused to reciprocate. By this construction of apparatus it will be observed that the rotary movement imparted to the shaft is during the upper throw of said shaft.

Mounted about the bottom of each shaft is a ring P, having shoulders P thereon, which are guided in grooves in the circumferences of the shafts, and a pounder R is fixed. to each of said rings. A spring S is interposed between the ring P and the shoulder K adjacent to the bottoms of said grooves, and the office of said spring is to hold the plunger yieldingly in the position shown in. the drawings.

The operation of our improved machine will be readily understood, as by turning the shaft E either by foot or hand power a reciprocating and rotary movement is imparted to the two shafts K, one rising as the other is being driven downward, and vice versa, and by the provision of the spring-actuated plunger an intermittent rotary movement is imparted to each shaft K, and as the latter rotates the pounders R will rotate with the shafts and cause the clothes positioned underneath the pounders to be thoroughly agitated and water forced through the same, whereby the same may be thoroughly cleansed.

While we have shown only two shafts mounted side by side, it will be understood that we do not limit ourselves as to the number of shafts or pounders, as the same may be varied, if desired, and also we may make alterations in the detailed construction of the apparatus, if desired, without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A washing apparatus comprising a receptacle, reciprocating shafts mounted therein, a crankshaft, swiveled connections between same and said reciprocating shaft, the circumferences of the latter being provided with longitudinal grooves with connecting diagonal grooves and diagonal ribs across each longi tudinal groove, spring-pressed plungers engaging said grooves and adapted to impart an intermittent rotary movement to the grooved shafts as the latter are reciprocated, and pounders carried by said reciprocating shafts, as set forth.

2. A washing apparatus comprising a casing, yokes carried thereby, a spring-pressed pounder carried by said yokes, a crank-shaft, a shaft having longitudinal and diagonal grooves mounted in said yokes and engaged by said spring-actuated plunger, swiveled connections between the upper ends of said grooved shafts and the crank shaft, and pounders carried by the grooved shaft, as set forth.

3. A washing apparatus comprising a receptacle, yokes supported thereby, reciprocating shafts working through said yokes and having longitudinal and inclined grooves in the circumference thereof, spring-pressed plungers engaging said grooves, and adapted to impart an intermittent rotary movement to the shafts as the latter are reciprocated, a ring carried at the lower end of each grooved shaft and having shoulders engaging in grooves in the lower end of the reciprocating shaft, a spring interposed between each ring and the shoulder of the shaft, and apounder fastened to each ring, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPII AUGUST RULLHAN. DAVID DOUGLASS RULLMAN.

itnesses:

PAUL GERARDY, J. H. GRABLE. 

